Reel Film: Leonard's sharp dialogue will surely be missed

11:09 PM,
Sep. 11, 2013

Russell Crowe appears in a scene from the motion picture '3:10 to Yuma.'

Written by

Larry Robinson
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

Years before I became aware of the late Elmore Leonard's superior crime fiction, I knew his name as the source for some fine Westerns, such as Budd Boetticher's "The Tall T," Paul Newman in "Hombre" and the 1957 classic cowboy-suspenser "3:10 to Yuma," featuring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, two fine actors we could sure use today.

Thus, Leonard's recent passing, at 87, isn't merely a loss for American writing - it's a blow to Hollywood, as well. Other Leonard-inspired films include "Out of Sight," Quentin Tarantino's ode to Pam Grier, "Jackie Brown," and "Get Shorty," which delivered John ...